China Stories

Every app now wants to lend you money. It's driving some users into debt and foreshadows a broader crackdown.Read the article by Zeyi Yang: https://www.protocol.com/china/chinese-microlending-out-of-controlNarrated by Anthony Tao. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A single machine from the Netherlands could catapult China to the leading edge of the semiconductor industry. If the U.S. allowed it, that is.Read the article by Tim De Chant: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/02/07/the-chip-chokepoint/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Why do you ask, are you a spy or something?”Rattling machine guns and the dying yells of Japanese soldiers blare from a TV behind the newsagent. Framed by the glaring lights of his booth on a busy Beijing street, he eyes me with a joking smile — but the beginnings of a frown — as I casually ask which papers sell well. The state secrets of this kiosk are closely guarded. Only when he’s satisfied that I’m merely curious does he rummage among the popular local morning and evening dailies, flipping out a tabloid sporting the loud red and yellow banner of the Global Times.Read the article by Alex Colville: https://supchina.com/2020/10/12/hu-xijin-chinas-greatest-internet-troll/Read by Lucas Niewenhuis. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I can hear the beastly engines revving from hundreds of meters away. Up close, the machines gleam in the autumn sun. Benellis, chrome Harley Davidsons, dark-tinted BMWs, and Shinerays are all lined up for display on the deck of an abandoned freight train platform in Beijing’s 798 Art District.Read the article by Mads Vesterager Nielsen: https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2021/02/ride-or-die/Narrated by Anthony Tao. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fed up with the grind of urban life, young Chinese are starting over in the countryside, where they aim to build a new society without “privilege or hierarchy.”Read the article by Wang Xuandi: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006694/in-chinas-new-age-communes%2C-burned-out-millennials-go-back-to-natureNarrated by Elyse Ribbons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

China has fleshed out details of mandated “cooling-off” periods for couples seeking divorce, a policy that critics said could leave victims of violent and abusive relationships in greater danger.Read the article by Matthew Walsh and Tang Ailin: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-12-07/cooling-off-periods-for-divorcing-couples-could-put-abuse-victims-in-danger-critics-say-101636689.htmlNarrated by Elyse Ribbons.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In China, the Rabbit God — Tu'er Shen — is a relatively obscure deity. But at one point in history, it held special significance, particularly for same-sex couples who looked to it for guidance and true love. Remnants of the Rabbit God can still be found today, if one looks hard enough.Read the article by David Volodzko: https://supchina.com/2020/10/09/how-fujian-was-once-an-lgbt-mecca/Narrated by Anthony Tao.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Canadian prime minister was using his father’s playbook when it came to China. But the game has changed.Read the article by Christopher Beam: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/01/31/trudeaus-move/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zhou Li (not his real name) was glad he escaped Nepal before the big Christmas Eve police raid.A couple of days before the Nepali cops detained 122 Chinese nationals Dec. 24 for suspected involvement in financial crimes, Zhou fled to China from an online gaming company where he worked for about two weeks in Katmandu, the Nepali capital.Read the story by Tang Ailin and Denise Jia: https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-01-09/in-depth-a-chinese-con-mans-two-weeks-in-nepal-101502387.htmlNarrated by Elyse Ribbons.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yue Fei was a 12th-century Song dynasty general who was betrayed by the minister Qin Hui. Throughout history, his reputation has changed - from symbol of ethnic nationalism to hero of the people - but his status still looms large. Read the article by James Carter: https://supchina.com/2021/01/27/the-evolving-hero-status-of-the-executed-general-yue-fei/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.